Baek Ho-yeong was the one who broke the brief silence.
"This is a total jungle. I'm dying from the humidity."
He sniffed the air like a beast, sampling the scent of this unfamiliar atmosphere. What filled our vision was a procession of ancient trees so massive that dozens of adults with outstretched arms couldn't encircle them. The thick smell of earth and the scent of damp moss pricked at our noses.
"The vegetation itself is completely different from Earth."
Park So-jin examined the rough tree bark closely, then flicked red flames from her fingertips to lightly sear away the sticky humidity around us. Beside her, Ryu Ji-hwan silently rested his hand on his sword hilt, his sharp gaze sweeping through the surrounding darkness.
After taking in the alien otherworldly landscape with a quick glance, he exhaled briefly.
"Let's move forward. There's nothing to gain from loitering in front of the Gate."
He immediately took the lead and started walking. The sensation of shoes sinking deep into the squishy humus was thoroughly unpleasant, but I didn't show it. The group began carefully advancing deeper into the forest in perfect formation.
10 minutes. 20 minutes.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. Not even the common sounds of animal cries could be heard.
After walking for some time in that tense atmosphere—
"...Stop."
I halted my steps.
Simultaneously, Ryu Ji-hwan's sword was half-drawn with a chilling metallic sound. Hot flames rippled from both of Park So-jin's hands, and Baek Ho-yeong's fingernails had already transformed into vicious wolf claws.
The flow of mana filling the area was distorting irregularly.
There was no killing intent. But there was definitely a chilling sensation directed at us.
It was that same overwhelming mana wave that had torn through the Japanese advance team's barrier like paper.
"Sharl-lien, par ka."
Along with the sound of rustling leaves, a strange language echoed through the air.
At the same time, silhouettes dropped down—thud, thud—from between the massive branches covering our heads.
Perfect landings without a sound.
A dozen figures surrounding us from all sides. Pointed ears, tall and slender builds.
They were the elves we'd seen in the body cam footage.
"Shuria, ro-en bash?"
The elf who appeared to be their leader spoke incomprehensible words while drawing his bowstring taut.
The mana concentrated on the arrowhead rippled as if ready to explode at any moment. A standoff that seemed like bloodshed could break out at any second. But in the elves' eyes, there was more wariness and confusion than hostility.
I instinctively read that they had no intention of attacking.
"Everyone lower your weapons. They're not going to shoot."
At my words, Ryu Ji-hwan silently sheathed his sword. Park So-jin and Baek Ho-yeong also withdrew their mana and stepped back.
As we withdrew our hostility, the elf leader slowly released his bowstring. When he gestured to the other elves, the forest's tense atmosphere magically dissolved away.
"It's frustrating that we can't communicate."
Baek Ho-yeong grumbled while scratching the back of his head.
That's when it happened. The elf leader stepped forward and began chanting a long, complex incantation while extending his hand.
"El-sien, bir ta... Sylph."
A clear wind gathered in a whirlwind from his fingertips.
The concentrated wind soon transformed into a semi-transparent emerald current, then coalesced into the form of a palm-sized winged fairy.
It was a typical wind spirit straight out of fantasy novels.
The spirit spun once through the air, looking around in all directions.
Then it spotted me, startled in surprise, and flew over like a bullet.
[Kyaaa! What are you?]
In an instant, my brow furrowed at the clear, high-pitched voice that struck not my ears but directly inside my head.
The semi-transparent wind spirit began circling around my silver hair in a fuss.
[So pure! Your mana smells super sweet! What kind of spirit are you? I've never seen this form before!]
"...What the hell is it saying?"
The spirit giggled and rubbed its cheek against mine.
The elf leader, watching this bizarre comedy, gave the spirit a brief instruction.
The spirit stopped flapping in front of my eyes and struck a pose.
[Ahem! The elf leader is asking if you're the... uh, Earth? The strongest representative from a place called Earth!]
Real-time simultaneous interpretation through telepathy.
I was dumbfounded enough to let out a hollow laugh, but decided to be satisfied that we could at least communicate.
"Yeah. Tell him to just guide us since that's correct."
Hearing my answer, the spirit made chirping wind sounds toward the elf. The elf leader's eyes widened slightly, then he bowed politely and pointed deeper into the forest. It meant to follow.
* * * * *
We walked toward the center of the forest under the elves' escort.
The whole way, the wind spirit never left my side.
[Are you really human? I can't believe it! You're just like us! Play with me, okay?]
"Get away."
[Kyahang! You're so feisty! Fun!]
The spirit clung persistently like a mosquito no matter how much I waved it away, giving me a headache.
Baek Ho-yeong, watching from behind, giggled.
"Our youngest is adapting perfectly to the locals, huh? Even fairies are attracted to him. As expected of the National Sav—"
"That's enough jokes. Stay ready to bolt at any moment."
Ryu Ji-hwan cut off the flow with a low, heavy voice.
That chilling presence blocking unnecessary chatter and silently guarding my back—truly the reassuring reliability of a veteran who'd crossed life and death together.
Baek Ho-yeong also clicked his tongue awkwardly and flashed his beast-like eyes again.
After walking for quite a while, the densely packed trees parted to both sides, revealing a massive open space.
"Holy shit..."
Seo Ji-hun pushed up his glasses and let out an exclamation.
The place was a forest that was itself one giant city. The interiors of enormous ancient trees that must have been hundreds of meters tall had been hollowed out to make houses, and thick vines served as bridges densely connecting tree to tree.
And at the center of it all.
The World Tree, a tree of overwhelming size that pierced through the clouds and soared to the edge of the sky, radiated its magnificent presence. The sight of atmospheric mana being sucked toward the World Tree and then expelled again was awe itself.
[Pretty, right? Hehe.]
The spirit circled above my head as if boasting.
When I turned my gaze toward the outskirts of the city, I saw people in familiar clothing among the elves. Jeans, hiking clothes, worn padding. They were the Earthlings who'd gone missing three years ago.
They weren't bound in chains like slaves, but were laughing together with the elves while picking tree fruits or carrying baskets. Just as the returned Japanese had testified, the Earthlings were living here in perfect assimilation.
Guided by the elves, we entered a massive wooden structure located near the roots of the World Tree.
It was a magnificent guest hall built while preserving the natural grain of the wood.
Just as everyone was overwhelmed by the scale of this massive otherworld and keeping quiet—
—Step. Step.
The sound of multiple footsteps came from outside the guest hall.
The thick vines blocking the entrance unwound themselves and the door opened.
The first to enter was a Korean man in his mid-forties wearing a worn modern suit. He seemed to be an interpreter who'd gone missing three years ago.
And following him, an overwhelming presence that instantly pressed down on the air in the room revealed itself.
A woman wearing a living, breathing branch crown on her head, wrapped in untouchable, noble mana.
It was the Queen of the Elves.
The Queen's gaze passed over the S-Rank Hunters and immediately fixed on me sitting in a chair.
"El-lien, par... Sylphid?"
The Queen murmured in a voice as clear as rolling jade. As the group who couldn't possibly understand that language kept silent, the Korean interpreter in his mid-forties who'd followed her in urgently bowed and stepped forward.
"Um, excuse me... Her Majesty the Queen is asking. Are you a spirit, or are you human?"
"Just tell her I'm human. Just someone with an unusual constitution."
The interpreter stammered as he conveyed my answer in Elvish. Hearing those words, the Queen's eyes widened slightly, then she approached me, her skirts trailing.
In an instant, Ryu Ji-hwan's sword was half-drawn, emitting chilling killing intent, and Baek Ho-yeong's fingernails lengthened like beast claws. But the Queen paid no attention to the S-Ranks' flashing killing intent behind her and stared intently at my face.
"Though clearly human, every corner of your flesh is perfectly assimilated with such pure and clear mana... It's no exaggeration to say your entire body has been completely reforged with mana."
The interpreter gasped as he translated the Queen's Elvish in real-time.
She had perfectly seen through my deformed body that had changed during my Awakening. Seo Ji-hun pushed up his glasses and muttered as if intrigued.
"Indeed. She recognized Tae-ho's body at a glance without even using an appraisal eye."
"So, do you have a problem with me being a lump of mana?"
When I asked indifferently, a faint smile spread across the Queen's lips.
"No. Quite the opposite. Those who hold unpolluted, pure mana do not speak lies. If it's you, I can trust and entrust you with this world's crisis."
The Queen turned and gracefully took her seat at the head of the guest hall. It was the beginning of a proper conversation. When she gestured, the vines moved on their own to push wooden cups filled with fragrant tea onto the table.
"Let me ask directly. If you want peace, why did you suddenly throw open dimensional doors and cause this chaos?"
At my blunt question, the interpreter was horrified and tried to soften the translation. But the Queen seemed to roughly understand the nuance and calmly shook her head as she spoke.
"We did not open the doors. All tragedy began suddenly three years ago."
The Queen's explanation continued through the interpreter's mouth.
Three years ago, dimensional rifts tore open across the peaceful continent. And from those holes, two types of foreigners poured out.
"The first foreigners were these people—weak Earthlings with no mana at all."
The Queen pointed at the interpreter.
"The World Tree gave us a divine revelation. They are pitiful beings caught up in dimensional collapse, so take them in and protect them. Since you who have no mana posed no threat to the forest, we gladly became a sanctuary for the foreigners."
"Then what about the second foreigners? Monsters?"
Park So-jin interjected sharply while warming her teacup with her fingertips. The Queen's expression noticeably hardened.
"Correct. Monsters born solely for slaughter, with neither dialogue nor reason. Those creatures began pouring out across the forest and the entire continent."
The water droplets on the table floated up on their own, transforming into bizarre and grotesque shapes depicting the monsters' forms.
"The most horrifying thing is the murky energy those monsters emit. When their blood and flesh seep into the ground, the soil becomes blackly contaminated, and trees that grew for hundreds of years wither and die. A terrible poison that even erodes the forest's barrier. To stop it, we had to form an allied force with the Empire, Beastkin, and Dwarves—our longtime enemies."
This otherworld was also a victim of the Gate Shock. In fact, with the ongoing damage of soil contamination, their situation was even worse than Earth's. I crossed my arms and fell into thought.
"So? After three years of bloody fighting, when those Japanese came over this time, you realized an entire world called Earth was connected."
The interpreter swallowed and nodded.
"That's right. When we explained the Japanese Hunters' equipment and System to Her Majesty, she was greatly surprised."
"System?"
"Yes. There's no Awakening in this world. You have to train for decades and memorize complex incantations to use magic. But when she saw us skip all that process and unleash abilities with just willpower, without a single incantation..."
The interpreter swallowed dryly while gauging the Queen's reaction. The Queen continued in a heavy voice.
"I thought it was a miracle from the gods, shortcutting the long years of training for the weak foreigners. I judged that if someone stood at the pinnacle of that unreasonable power that ignores decades of systems, they could also uproot the source of the monsters gnawing at this continent."
"Ah, enough with the complicated talk."
Baek Ho-yeong sniffed irritably.
"So basically you're asking us to help kill the monsters that invaded your world. Just tell us where those bastards are and we'll take the lead."
He growled with beast-like eyes flashing, as if he detested complicated circumstances. Then the Queen twisted the water illusion of the monster she'd been floating on the table into a completely different, bizarre form.
"That's the problem. The monsters you Earthlings described and the creatures invading our continent are completely different in form and nature."
"What?"
I bolted upright from my chair. The illusion the Queen had floating wasn't the orcs, goblins, or trolls I'd been disgustingly slicing through for the past three years.
Tentacles with inconsistent forms, lumps of flesh with dozens of eyeballs, grotesque fusions of beast bones and insect carapaces. It was clearly alien.
"These are... monsters?"
Seo Ji-hun took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Confusion also appeared on Park So-jin and Ryu Ji-hwan's faces.
"It means the source of the monsters invading your world and the monsters invading us are different. We don't even know what's happening in the dimensional rifts. That's why we need more information. If we don't combine our knowledge, both worlds won't be able to avoid destruction."
My head started throbbing.
I'd simply come to block one Permanent Gate that appeared in Japan, but now dimensional secrets, two types of monsters, and even the identity of the System. The very foundation of the world view was being shaken to its core.
I plopped down in the chair and roughly rubbed my face with my small hands.
"What the hell is all this..."
My plan to clock out as quickly as possible was completely shattered.
